Georgia Sagri
IASI, Stage of Recovery

‘While taking care of the breath, the voice starts to sound as it is formed and the whole world starts to vibrate differently. By breathing, singing or talking, the voice travels inside the body, touches the interior organs and colors them through vibration. Some voices, which means some bodies, are under shock; by altering the resonance of the voice, the body starts to vibrate differently, so some of the organs that are in pain will start to recuperate.’

– Georgia Sagri, IASI

IASI (‘’Recovery’’ in Greek) involves the recovery of health in the physical sense. The deeper, fuller breath of life. It also involves the reclamation – in the contemporary world – of a civic horizon for performance established within Ancient Greek theatre. For example, at the Epidavros Amphitheatre in the Peloponnese, which rests near the Sanctuary of Asclepius, we find evidence of the interchange between theatrical roles, civic participation and the beginning of medicinal categories – of great inspiration to the artist. Sagri’s method addresses physical pain as a symptom of imbalance in social life (and are not to be mistaken for psycho-analytic sessions). Her private one-on-one sessions take place on a soft stage – a functional sculpture devised by the artist especially for the sharing of her process. At de Appel, this stage rests on top of the existing stage of the iconic Aula at Broedplaats Lely (formerly Pascal College, built in 1969 by Ben Ingwersen) offering a sense of the recovery of public space. The perfect acoustics of the Aula further enhance the reclamation of breath and voice that lie at the heart of Sagri’s approach. During the treatments, the very public space of the Aula is claimed for necessary private healing.

During the exhibition, materials from the evolving history of performance art dating back to the 1970s, found in de Appel’s Archive, add depth and historical context to Sagri’s pivotal practice. As this evocative ephemera enters into a dialogue with Sagri’s modular stage-sculpture and full-bodied drawings. Here, a number of questions arise:

What is/has been the artist’s role in society?
What is/has been the role of the public?
Can we conceive of performance art without a sense of spectacle?
What traditions of theater and/as therapy remain to be recovered?
How do we breathe better together?

IASI, Stage of Recovery is curated by de Appel’s director Monika Szewczyk with the assistance of scenographer Ariadne Sergoulopoulou. This exhibition also gains strength from de Appel’s Archive Curator Nell Donkers and Education Curator David Smeulders.

To celebrate Georgia Sagri: IASI, Stage of Recovery at de Appel, the artist’s first solo presentation in the Netherlands, there are two special events streamed live:

Friday 23 October at 6pm (CET) – Briefing on IASI with Georgia Sagri and the directors of the three institutions supporting IASI: Daria Khan of Mimosa House, London; Olga Hatzidaki and Maria Thalia Carras of Tavros, Athens; and Monika Szewczyk of de Appel Amsterdam.

To join the discussion via de Appel’s Facebook
To witness via Livestream

24 October at Sunset (6:25 pm CET) – Performance by Georgia Sagri: Breathing (7-1-7) with embryac position / Windface

To witness via Livestream